Tedd Arnold

Set in 1972, this is the story that Todd tells of his short friendship with a boy/man called Rat during the summer of the great flood. Todd lives on the outskirts of New York city where the flood plain and suburbia collide. Todd is 14 and lives with his parents and slowly-turning senile Grandmother in a motel complex and his hobby is writing. One day, while riding home along the banks of the river he discovers a stray puppy. He picks it up but unfortunately a cement truck spooks it, it bites show more him and then it gets hit by the truck. As it lies squealing in pain on the road, that Rat appears and tells him to put it out of his misery.
Later, their paths cross again and Rat offers Todd a job at the Drive-In where he works - picking up rubbish and collecting tickets. Todd soon discovers that Rat keeps his cards close to his chest - he knows that Rat was in Vietnam and that his mother is a dope-fiend but that is all he knows - not even Rat's real name. While he tries to put the pieces together to figure out his friend, there is something more sinister happening in the background - a body has been washed up murdered in the river, a menacing drunk has terrified his senile grandmother and then driven his car through the motel, Todd has found a cap in the river that seems to belong to Rat's mysterious Uncle who has disappeared,and how can Rat have been a soldier when he seems not much older than Todd himself? To top this all off, the weather has become more menacing with violent winds and rising water levels.
This mystery novel has great twists and turns and looks at the treatment of the soldiers who came back from the Vietnam War as well as how some boys as young as 13 were able to enlist and serve. I particularly liked how Tedd Arnold writes how Todd discovers what his opinion of the war is. p.120 "Yesterday I had told Rat I didn't know how I felt about the war. But last night, trying to fall asleep, I realized - I did have an opinion. It must have formed without my even knowing. Of course I didn't like the war. But beyond that? All the news over the years - the protests, the body counts, the burning villages - had gradually piled up on me. "

I like this book for its complex characters, unusual setting (place and time) and most of all, its unpredictability. show less

(Children's illustrated book)

The sequel of sorts to Parts and More Parts, this was a book I read to my 4 year old's class, and had them all interacting. Perfectly aimed at that age group, with the right level of humour (and you know what that means - *sigh*), it illustrates some of the idioms we use.

Actually, it illustrates the silly things we say about our body parts - and there are loads of them; for example, "I changed my mind" has the protagonist taking out one brain to put in another. show more Or when the teacher says "All eyes on me" the whole class throws their eyeballs at her. The kids loved the book, and it got quite a few laughs. I liked the way (well, yes, I found it funny, too) each page was dedicated to one body part, and the bar at the bottom of each page with still more idioms on that body part, illustrated by the boy again, his toy robot and his toy tank.

Funny, clever and not too gross; right up my street!

5 stars show less

Sitting outside is as easy as pie, so brothers Mac and Mac are treated to a peach pie made by their mother, as long as they bring her the required ingredients first. But Mac and Mac will admit to having nothing inside their empty noodles so they are easily confused and tricked ... will they ever get their pie?

As with other books in the Noodleheads series, this story is presented over a few short chapters in a comic book style, sure to be popular with young readers. Each chapter is inspired show more by a traditional story of fools from around the world, with backmatter explaining more about this storytelling tradition as well as describing the specific tales that inspired the vignettes found here. Despite the apparent silliness with these humorous tales, readers will actually learn a lot. This includes a variety of idioms like “easy street” and "easy as pie" as mentioned above. Also, readers are encouraged by the storytelling to think logically – the exact opposite of noodleheads Mac and Mac. I always enjoy the pun-filled antics of Mac and Mac in the Noodleheads books and this one did not disappoint! show less

Parts is a classic book that brings the conversation of bodily changes (in young kids who are elementary school aged) into a picture book. Arnold does an excellent job of making light of some of these changes that truly happen to children by exaggerating those occurrences fully. He does this in order to derive some humor from it and to engage his readers. For example, when the main character realizes that his tooth is coming loose, his reactions go from simply worried to absolutely horrified show more – “As scared as I can be, ‘cause finally what’s happening is very clear to see – the glue that holds our parts together isn’t holding me!!!”. Throughout this book, the author’s writing follows a rhyming scheme which includes a steady pace of text that is engaging and fun to follow. The text in itself is humorous, for example; “then yesterday, before my bath, as I took off my clothes, a chunk of something gray and wet fell right out of my nose.” This quote is definitely blowing the whole situation out of proportion, but it is exactly what some kids actually believe when they notice changes with their bodies. While this children’s picture book is funny, which adds to its appeal to young readers, it also brings up a relevant question/point in children’s lives when they want to know what is happening with their bodies. At the end of this book, Arnold leaves the reader with a message that it is all normal and to talk to your parents, which can bring the reader some relief, but it is also laced with humor to continue on with the literary pattern that is present throughout the book. show less